Can anyone tell me about Lyrica - Pain Management Message Board

catsblueeyes1 · 01-04-2006, 10:22 AM

Hi,

My Doctor has perscibed Lyrica, is there any side effects? I have RA and severe DDD in the spine. I just found out that I have moderate to severe
bulging with protrusion on 3 levels of my lumbar spine with Arthritis along
the same levels. The pain is horrible because of the combined problems.
The only pain medication that I am on is darvocet(which does not help)
and when it is really bad I use percocet. I am concerned because I think that I need a longer acting medication but these Doctors here in Chicago are so hesitant to RX anything stronger. I also am concerned with the amount of
Tylenol that can injure my liver. I understand that you should not exceed
a certain amount of Tylenol in a day. I am also on high doses of Methotrexate
and Humeria injection for my RA. I am hoping that there will not be a drug interaction with using Lyrica. Thanks for listening , I am having a bad day
with pain and appreciate this board and all of you who have so much experience and wisdom.

Deb

dango · 01-04-2006, 09:23 PM

Hi Deb! I won't pretend to know about the potential drug interactions BUT you can ask your PHARMACIST about that. They are EXPERTS (if your Doc is not readily/immediately available). I take Lyrica 300mg daily for very similar symptoms. What it helps with is the pain of "nerves" (neuropathic) and also skeletal muscles. For instance you may have extreme stiffness in the morning, in wet/cold weather, etc--which feel like it is "bony" in nature. It is actually cause by spasticity (clamping down) of the muscles that move/hold your skeletal structure. That's kind of a gross and simplistic way to describe it... ...but the Lyrica is supposed to help with all that so you don't have to take too many opiates. Also, if you feel a little sleepy at first, that wears off!

catsblueeyes1 · 01-05-2006, 06:54 AM

Thanks for your reply,

I had a bad reaction to the medication so my doctor had me stop taking it,
it is unfortuante because I heard that it does help nerve pain. Thanks again
and have a wonderful day!
Deb

Blasterboy · 01-05-2006, 08:13 AM

I found Lyrica really clean and easy to get onto and it helped the pain a little, but it caused huge wieght gain for me and coming off it left my gastrointestanal system in a mess!